Echoes of the Past

The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the artificial lights embedded in the ceiling. It wasn't much—just two beds, a desk, and a small window overlooking the distant towers of the imperial city.

I sat on the edge of my bed, running a hand through my hair. The silence felt heavier than the battles we had just survived.

Across from me, Selena sat cross-legged on her own bed, absentmindedly adjusting the wraps around her wrists. She didn't speak, but I could tell she was lost in thought, just like I was.

We had been assigned this room for the night before the next phase of The Solar Ascension. Ravien and Kaelen were together, which was either a disaster or the perfect match, and Silas had a room to himself. I should have been relieved to have a moment of rest. But the second I closed my eyes, the past came crawling back.

It started the way it always did.

The smell of spilled liquor. The dim glow of the cracked hololamp in the corner. The sound of rain against the rusted metal roof of our home.I was eight years old again, curled up on the floor of a tiny, decaying apartment. My mother's shadow loomed over me, the empty bottle slipping from her fingers as she muttered curses under her breath."You're useless," she slurred, her voice thick with rage. "Just like him."

Her foot lashed out, catching me in the ribs. I didn't cry out. Crying only made it worse.The pain was nothing compared to the words.Just like him.She said it every time. Every night.My father had been a Space Keeper once. A legend among soldiers. A man who fought under the gods' banner until he vanished. Until he left. And she blamed me. I never knew why he left. Maybe he died. Maybe he abandoned us. Either way, he was gone.

And so was she, in her own way.The nightmare shifted.I was older now, standing in the streets, watching the doors of my home slam shut for the last time. She had thrown me out, just like she had thrown away everything else.The rain poured harder, soaking through my clothes as I stumbled away.I had nothing.No home. No family. No future.But even as I walked into the darkness, something inside me hardened.If I was going to survive, I had to become something else.Something untouchable.

I woke up with a sharp inhale, my heart hammering in my chest.It took a moment to remember where I was. The cold walls. The unfamiliar bed. The Solar Ascension. Selena was still in her bed, but she was sitting up now, watching me."You talk in your sleep," she said softly.I wiped a hand over my face, forcing my breathing to slow. "Great."She tilted her head slightly. "That wasn't just any dream, was it?"I let out a short, humorless laugh. "No. It wasn't."

She didn't press me for more. Didn't ask questions I didn't want to answer. Instead, she leaned back against the headboard, her expression unreadable.For a while, there was only silence.Then she spoke."I used to have nightmares too," she admitted. "Back when I still believed things could be different."I glanced at her. "And now?" Selena hesitated. "Now I know better."

There was something in her voice that made me pay attention. A weight, a quiet sorrow that she carried just as I did.

Maybe that was why she didn't push me.

Because she understood.I exhaled, leaning forward, resting my arms on my knees. "I don't know why I keep having them. It's been years.""It doesn't matter how much time passes," she murmured. "Some wounds don't heal. We just get used to them."

Her words sat heavy between us.I wasn't sure why, but being in her presence made the past feel… quieter. Like, for the first time in years, I wasn't the only one carrying the weight."Hey, Caius?"

I looked up.She offered a small, almost hesitant smile. "We've got each other's backs, right?"I stared at her for a moment before nodding."Yeah," I said. "We do."

A sharp knock on the door shattered whatever quiet understanding had settled between us.We both turned as the door swung open, revealing a tall guard in black and gold armor. His helmet obscured most of his face, but his tone was cold and professional.

"You are to report to the Council Chamber immediately," he said.Selena and I exchanged a glance.So, it was time.

Without another word, we stood and followed the guard down the long, dimly lit corridors of the imperial complex. The deeper we went, the grander the halls became marble floors, golden banners, intricate carvings of battles long past.

But none of it felt welcoming.It was a place built for gods. And we were just mortals walking through their temple.

Finally, the massive doors of the Council Chamber loomed before us. They opened with a deep, echoing creak, revealing the room beyond.

The chamber was vast, its walls lined with towering statues of past rulers. But all attention was drawn to the figure seated at the center of the room.

Emperor Valerius.

He was not a young man, nor was he frail. His presence alone was enough to command silence, his dark eyes scanning each of us as we entered.Beside him stood a robed figure one of the High Priests, no doubt a representative of the gods.We stopped before the throne, standing in formation.

The Emperor's gaze swept over us, calculating.

"You five have proven your worth," he said. His voice was deep, controlled. "And now you will fight for something greater."Silence filled the chamber."The Solar Ascension begins in three days," he continued. "You will face warriors from every world. Five from each, chosen for their strength, their cunning, their ruthlessness. Only one planet will claim victory."I clenched my fists."And the others?" Silas asked quietly.

The Emperor's gaze darkened. "They will fall."A heavy silence followed his words.

Selena's hands curled into fists at her sides. Ravien tilted his head, his usual smirk gone. Even Kaelen seemed more focused, more intent.I exhaled slowly.So this was it.Not just a battle.A war. And we were the ones sent to fight it.

The Emperor leaned forward, his gaze locked onto mine."Do you have what it takes to survive?" he asked.I held his gaze, the weight of my past pressing against me.

"I always have."